


A New Beginning - Albedo's New Life

by Badass_Gemini



Category: Ben 10 Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, ENJOY BECAUSE THE STARTS FUCKING ALIGNED FOR ME THE WRITE THIS, Gen, THREE YEARS AD A SUDDEN BOUT OF INSPIRATION GIVES YOU THIS, bet you thought you'd seen the last of me, surprise bitch
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2020-10-20 13:03:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20675843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Badass_Gemini/pseuds/Badass_Gemini
Summary: It's been 3 years since Earning His Redemption and I never thought I'd finally get back to writing about my boy but here I am. Years later with kinda improved writing, a new understanding of my son Albedo, hella support from all of those who loved the first story, and new friends who love and adore my take on our lovely alien frog boy. So without further ado, please enjoy this new story about Albedo's new life with the Tennyson family and how he adjusts to living as a good guy with a family who genuinely cares about him!





	1. Chapter 1

Not long ago, sleep was one thing that always seemed to elude him. Whether it was due to stress, hunger pains, nightmares, or just plain insomnia, it was never something that was easily accomplished. Over the past few months however, sleep has come somewhat peacefully. It was much easier to allow the calm darkness overtake his mind without fear of waking up in a panic, because nowadays Albedo has very little to fear.

Just a few months ago he was an outlaw, a wanted criminal living on the streets and living in fear of being caged up in a cell for the rest of his life. Thanks to one woman’s unyielding kindness, he was given a second chance, a roof over his head, and even a room to call his own. It was strange at first, living with his once worst enemy and his family, but over the course of his stay he’s learned much more about Ben Tennyson than he had ever thought. Most importantly, he’s learned that while Ben may be a complete and utter idiot sometimes, he still does his best to keep people safe. Even when he messes up and causes more problems, he tries to fix them. That was something Albedo failed to see before, though he was glad he can see it now.

As the sun started to shine through his window, Albedo slowly awoke to the quiet noises of the mornings he’s grown so used to. The quick footsteps of Carl rushing out the front door to get to work, the slow steps of Sandra doing her morning routine before she gets breakfast started, and the cool morning winds blowing the fall leaves against the glass of his bedroom window. These were the things that Albedo has come to enjoy while living here with the Tennysons, and he hoped he could continue to enjoy them for some time to come. He sits up, stretching out with a small noise of content before a yawn slips past his lips. While he may love being able to sleep peacefully now, Albedo was still a very early riser. Though he’s finally stopped forcing himself awake at ungodly hours, he still gets up every morning at 7am regardless of when he had gone to sleep the night before. Needless to say, sometimes he was a very grumpy person throughout the day.

Finally deciding to get out of bed after just sitting there for a hot minute, Albedo makes his way down the hall and into the bathroom for his usual morning shower. Yet another thing he’s come to enjoy, being able to take regular showers. He absolutely despised the fact that he was unable to do so while he lived on the streets of Bellwood. Feeling constantly filthy was horrid to say the least, and wearing the same thing every day without a way to really wash his only set of clothes didn’t help either. Albedo was more than happy when Sandra had surprised him with a trip to the local mall and told him to pick out a few things he would like to wear. Now he has his own clothing and didn’t have to borrow Ben’s any longer. Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed a towel to wrap around himself before going to the sink to brush his teeth. Though looking into the mirror caused a small chuckle to escape him.

“I really should ask Sandra about a trip to the hairdresser. This is getting quite ridiculous.” His hand comes up to run through the still dripping wet locks of white. His hair had gotten a bit too long for his liking, despite Gwen commenting that it suited him. At this point he was able to tie it back into a small ponytail. Such a hassle really, though it did put just a bit more distinction between Ben and himself. The thought seemed to put a small smile on his face as he shook some of the water from his hair. “Maybe I’ll hold off just a bit longer.” Once he was finished in the bathroom, he quickly made his way back to his room to get dressed. He had his own set of things to do today after all. Though most of them were just house chores, Albedo still didn’t like to waste time. Doing chores around the house was the least he felt he could do for Sandra after all she’d done for him. But not before he got some food in him. No way was he missing out on Sandra’s cooking.

As he made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, he saw a rather tired looking Ben sitting at the kitchen table while Sandra was cooking. She turned to greet him while Ben just gave him a few barely understandable grumbles as his greeting. He made Albedo laugh a bit as he sat down across from the other boy.

“Someone didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, now did he?”

Ben simply glared at his twin. “Can it, will ya? There was a new Sumo Slammers marathon and I didn’t wanna miss it.”

“You’ve seen literally every episode of that show, why do you insist on re-watching it constantly?”

“You don’t understand, I love it with every fiber of my being-”

“Physically impossible.”

“Shut up, and it’s just an amazing show in general okay. Let me live, Albedo.”

The former Glavan simply smiled and shook his head. This was the savior of the entire known Universe, the hero that countless beings across countless galaxies admired and looked up to, the hero who fought and defeated the Universe’s most feared criminals. This was the hero that many, including his past self, seemed to forget was just a teenager. He had a life too, and he rarely got to really enjoy it outside of being a hero. Albedo was just glad that he finally got to see this side of Ben’s life, and even be a part of it now. Since living here with the Tennyson family, his own life has been so much more peaceful. Save for sometimes having to help Ben out of some pretty sticky situations during missions. But even that made him feel better about himself, knowing he was going to be _ helping _ the other instead of hurting him. It gave Albedo a sense of pride he thought he had lost a long time ago.

“You are an absolute mess sometimes, Ben. I wonder how you even function on a day to day basis.”

“I don’t.”

The deadpan answer had both boys cracking up as Sandra placed their breakfast down in front of them before sitting down with her own plate. Seeing the two getting along and just being themselves put a warm smile on her face as she listened to them talk. To think, just a few months ago Albedo was this bitter, angry, and seriously injured boy that she had picked up off the street. Seeing him look so happy and content now, it made her proud of the decision she had made. Who knows where the other would be right now had she not found him that day. It always sends a small shiver down her back thinking that any one of Albedo’s own enemies could have found him that day. For all she knew, he might not have even survived if that had happened. Sandra shakes her head slightly and looks back up to the boys, who already wolfed down more than half of their food.

“So you two, anything on the agenda for today?” She asks as she begins to eat her own breakfast.

“Not really, just some routine stuff on my end. Me and Rook don’t have any big missions this week but hey, you never know. Maybe we’ll get invaded again and I’ll get to go full hero and kick some butt.” Ben seemed to bounce in his chair at the idea of getting to fight someone.

“How about we don’t wish for the near destruction of the planet, yeah? You always get to go hero and fight some big villain at some point. I would have thought you’d be happy for some down time.”

“What’s this? Albedo actually wanting Earth to be _ safe _? Am I in another parallel dimension again?”

The former Galvan laughed before flinging a small piece of egg at Ben’s face. “Shut it, Ben. I live here so of course I want it to be safe.”

“You lived here before and hated it!” Ben laughed as he reciprocated the action.

“Yeah but I didn’t have a choice before! Now I actually _ like _ living here!”

The conversation continued, and eventually came to an end with Ben finally having to leave for morning patrol, Albedo was left to start his daily chores. Beginning with the dishes per his own request. Sandra had other things to do than worry about cleaning up after Ben and himself. Besides, he found that he enjoyed doing little things like this. Simply helping out around the house, doing little chores for Sandra, just simply living a life like any other person would. Albedo found that he was happy to just _ live _ , even if it was as a human now. He’s finally accepted that he wasn’t going to get his Galvan body back, and that was _ okay _ . Finally, after being stuck as a human for almost two years, Albedo no longer saw his body as a prison. It was finally _ his _body. Not a copy of Ben’s body, not a prison of his own making, not a curse, it was just his body.

As he finished up the dishes, Albedo felt his phone ring in his pocket. Fishing the device out, he couldn’t help but smile.

‘_ After the rounds, wanna grab some chili fries and Mr. Smoothie with me? You need some time out of the house you dumb hermit. _’

To think that barely half a year ago Albedo didn’t even want to _ think _ about being near Ben, and now he was happy to have him around. He could proudly say that he and Ben were friends, and he didn’t regret it one single bit. If it weren’t for Sandra and Ben giving him a second chance he would still be the same vindictive and spiteful person he was before. He’d still be out on the streets causing trouble and misery for the hero. He’d still hate himself for over looking that one small detail that caused his body to change into a copy of Ben’s. He’d still be blaming Ben for every bad thing that had happened to him. With a growing sense of content forming in his chest, Albedo responded.

‘_ Spending time with your dumb ass and eating god awful, disgusting chili fries and watching you down yet another weird and vomit inducing smoothie? Why on Earth would I ever turn that down? _’ He laughs before sending another text.

‘_ Don’t take too long to pick me up. I might get tired of waiting for your slow ass and just go for a walk instead. _’

‘_ >:p Loser _’

Yeah, life was pretty good for Albedo right now, and he wouldn’t trade this feeling of happiness for the world.

This was just the beginning of a new life after all.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TWO CHAPTERS IN ONE DAY? FUCK YEAH BABY! Also me? Low key projecting my own salt via these characters? A little bit.

“Are you sure about this, dude? I mean, this is a kinda big deal. You’re giving up a pretty big power here.” Ben walked alongside his twin who looked like he  _ wasn’t _ about to give up a serious power boost that took him weeks to actually get. By totally illegal means but still, Albedo did arguably work very hard to get that weird crystal thing that upgraded his watch into an Ultimatrix. For him to just give that up now after all this time, it just seemed out of the blue to him.

“It’s honestly useless to me now, Ben. The only reason I wanted the crystal was because I thought I could use it to defeat you and get my body back. You see how well that turned out.” Albedo gestures to himself with a smirk. “I mean really, it’s basically useless to me now. Besides, the Ultimatrix was seriously uncomfortable to wear. It was in the way and just a giant hassle for me for multiple reasons.” He looks down at his now downgraded Omnitrix. The watch now identical to Ben’s own, save for the red coloring. This felt much better to wear than his Ultimatrix did, and it wasn’t constantly in the way of his hand moving around.

“You sure you don’t need to think about this more? I mean, you did go through a lot to get that crystal.”

“Yes, including kidnapping you and imprisoning you in my place while also impersonating you, rather poorly if I might add.” Ben looked as if he was about to say something nice, that is before Albedo continued. “You sounded far too smart during the whole ordeal. I’m shocked Rook even believed me for a moment.” The look of pure annoyance on Ben’s face had Albedo snorting with laughter.

“Oh ha ha, very funny  _ smartass _ . You know it wasn’t fun being in your cell!”

“No shit, Sherlock Holmes. Why do you think  _ I _ hated being in there?”

Ben was silent for a few moments, squinting at his twin before focusing on the road ahead of them. “Alright. Fair point.”

Albedo couldn’t help but laugh just a bit more. He felt as if he won that little argument. “Besides all of that, I have thought about this. Quite a bit actually, and it’s just not worth keeping this thing if I don’t need it. That and… well it’s just a bad reminder.” He looks down at the small box that held the object in question. All that trouble he had caused, just for something that wasn’t even useful to him to begin with. He risked his life and freedom just for a chance to finally defeat Ben, and all it got him was more trouble than it was worth. Not to mention a brief bit of time where he had been forcefully reverted to an 11-year-old Ben’s body. Now  _ that _ was an awful memory he really didn’t want to think about. He had felt even more powerless than before, and it just made his hatred and resentment towards Azmuth grow. Even now he couldn’t forgive the so called ‘First Thinker’ of Galvan Prime for what he had pulled. It was bad enough that Albedo had felt trapped back then with his current body, that metaphorical slap to the face wasn’t necessary at all.

“Alright Albedo, if you say so. But are you sure you wanna deliver it to Grandpa Max in person? You know he’s still not…  _ happy _ that you’re living with us. As much as I love my grandpa, I know he’s just gonna be a jerk the whole time.” Even after months of Albedo being on his best behavior and even saving Ben’s skin on a few occasions, Grandpa Max was still sour about the whole situation. He really didn’t like the idea that Albedo could actually turn over a new leaf and be  _ good _ . Either that or he just wasn’t going to believe it until something major happened. Though he really couldn’t blame his grandfather. After everything Albedo has done and knowing just how cunning and manipulative he could be? It’s not hard to start believing that he was just biding his time for some kind of evil plot. But Ben knew better, or at least he had a more open mind than Max did. He knew Albedo was really trying to be better than before, and he really wished his grandfather could see it too.

“Whether Max likes it or not, it’s what Sandra decided. And I’m not going to let his sour attitude towards her decision deter me from doing what I believe is right. He’ll think up some way of this being a trick whether it was me or you delivering it anyway. It’s a lose-lose situation no matter how it plays out so why not just face it head on and get it over with. There’s no point in avoiding him anyway. He has to deal with me sooner or later.” As if the Magister wasn’t already ‘dealing’ with him in a way. Any time Ben was gone from the house his grandfather always seemed to ‘casually’ drop by for a visit, always seemingly forgetting that neither his grandson or his son were home during the day as both were busy with their own set of work. Ben had no idea, and neither Albedo nor Sandra had any intentions of telling him. There was no need for Ben to worry about his grandfather’s unorthodox way of checking up on how Albedo was behaving. Whether Max liked it or not, Albedo was living at his grandson’s house and unless Sandra said otherwise, there was nothing he could do to change it. Magistrata’s orders.

As much as Ben didn’t want to admit it, Albedo had a point. His grandpa would think of some reason for Albedo giving up the crystal to be a trick. It sucked, but it made sense. As they got closer to the entrance to Plumber HQ, Ben was just a little bit nervous with how the other agents were going to act. This would be the first time Albedo has been down there that  _ wasn’t _ going to lead to his incarceration. He hoped some of them would have  _ some _ decency and just ignore the two of them altogether, but he could never be that lucky. The second the elevator doors opened, Ben could feel all eyes were on them as they walked through the base. It practically made his skin crawl. How did Albedo look so calm about this? Ben looked to the former Galvan to see nothing but a stone cold demeanor on his features.

Albedo was more than used to this when walking through Plumber base, he expected this. It had happened every time he had been through here as a criminal, it was no different now. The agents would stare, likely thinking about what he was in for at the time, but now they simply stared at him with malice and distrust. So nothing too out of the ordinary. They wouldn’t have to worry for long, this would only take a moment. A simple drop off of an item that he no longer needed or wanted that they could choose to do with as they pleased.

After finally getting someone to tell them where Max was, the pair set off to the lower levels of the base.  _ The cells _ . Of course he would be down there. The one place Albedo never wanted to be near again, but it was what it was. They had to go down there to see Max. As the two boys descended even further beneath the Earth, Albedo felt a small shiver run up his spine. The last time he took this ride down he’d been in cuffs with three guards standing around him and was a prisoner here right up until his escape with Kyhber. He’d been planning his own, less extravagant escape for some time before, but Kyhber had proposed such an interesting idea, how could Albedo have refused? An escape while also putting his then arch nemesis in the very cell they imprisoned him in? It was too good to pass up at the time.

Shaking his head of those thoughts, Albedo noticed they were nearing the jail cell levels. It wasn’t long before the doors open up once more and there, within their line of sight, was Max Tennyson. Talking to another agent about who knows what. Good, this meant things wouldn’t take much longer. All they had to do was go over there and give Max the box, tell him what was in it, and be on their way. It was simple, at least, it was supposed to be. With Max, he didn’t know. ‘ _ Only one way to find out. _ ’ Albedo thought to himself as he and Ben approached the Magister. With the now sour looks on the two agents faces, it wasn’t hard for Max to know who was coming up to him. He turns, facing them with an already judging look.

“What are you doing here, Albedo?” It was worded to be a simple question, he even had a bit of professional tone to his voice, but it was clear that he wasn’t trying to be nice.

Albedo just gave the Magister a cold stare back, holding out the box for him to take. “This is the Polymorphic Crystal I had stolen from Inspector 13. I no longer require the use of an Ultimatrix, so I’m relinquishing this to the custody of the Plumbers. Do with it what you will, I don’t want it anymore.” And just like that, he simply drops the box into Max’s hand. He holds the Magister’s hard stare, waiting for him to say something about this being a trap or some kind of ploy, but it never comes. Max simply takes the box, looks inside to inspect the crystal, then hands it off to an agent before looking back at them.

“Keep that in a secure area until we know what to do with it. If that was all you wanted to do you’re free to go. I have a meeting I have to get to so, I’ll see you around Ben.” Without another word to either himself or Ben, Max leaves the room with the two agents in tow. Though not before both of them gave Albedo a hard glare.

No words were spoken as the boy rode the elevator back up to the surface. The air was tense, and Albedo could feel the awkwardness rising with each passing second. He just wanted to get out of here and never come back. Even with Ben walking him in and knowing he was able to leave at any point, it didn’t make that twisting feeling in dread in his gut go away while he was there. The second they were both outside, Albedo felt like he could finally breathe again. Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, he runs a shaky hand through his hair. When had he started shaking?

“So,” Ben’s voice broke the silence, “you wanna just go grab a smoothie and… wind down from all this? You’ve been shaking ever since we got back into the elevator to come up.” He gave his twin a small smile, thinking how stressful that must have been for Albedo if he was physically  _ shaking _ when coming back up. The other looked pretty relieved at his suggestion too, and even managed to crack a smile of his own.

“Yeah… I think I’d like that a lot. Thanks, Ben.”

The hero grins and wraps an arm around around Albedo’s shoulder, something the other was still getting used to, but it seemed like he needed the extra comfort at the moment. “Then let’s get moving. I bet if we hurry we can beat the lunch rush!” They walked together, laughing and cracking jokes along the way. It wasn’t clear how long it would take for Max to finally come around to the idea of Albedo being a good person, but until then, the least Ben can do for his twin was be there to help him calm down.


	3. Chapter 3

“I’m telling you Sandra, he’s either glaring me down or giving me a cold shoulder that would make a Necrofriggian shiver. It’s grating on my nerves to the point I just want to explode! Oh don’t touch that one, it’s poisonous to humans if consumed.”

Albedo carefully took the reddish colored ‘plant’ out of Sandra’s hand and placed it back on the stand before handing her a small wipe for her hands. “The leftover residue can also make you sick.”

The pair moved along through the market streets of Undertown, the former Galvan keeping his eye out for more suitable items for them to experiment with in the kitchen. It was his idea, after all, for them to have a little shopping trip in the alien underground. Many of the food items down here were safe for humans to eat, even healthier than most Earth plant life, it was just a matter of preparing them correctly. Something Max seemed to never figure out how to do in a way that was  _ appealing  _ according to Gwen and Ben.

“I understand how you feel, sweetheart. You’re not the only one who’s bothered by my father-in-law’s attitude. I know that he doesn’t think we’re fooled by his little ‘surprise visits’ to the house. The least he could try to do is actually visit when Carl or Ben are actually home.” Sandra sighed as she finished wiping off her hands. Max had started to ‘drop by’ the house far more often ever since Albedo officially moved into the Tennyson home. It just so happened that every time he came by, neither her husband or her son were home and Max just so happened to forget. Every single time. It was sad really, to think the only reason her father-in-law started to visit more often was because he was suspicious of Albedo living at her home.

“Oh please, if he actually decided to visit when they were home then it would make too much sense! He wants to make it obvious that he’s never going to trust me. Ah, these should be good. They’re high in vitamins and help the immune system.” He picks up a few stalks of a what would look like celery, save for the fact it was dark purple and had fuzzy barbs at the tops. “The barbs are also edible, you just have to be careful in removing them from the stalk itself.” He hands the vendor their payment before moving along.

Sandra looked over the strange… vegetable? She wasn’t sure, but if Albedo was sure that they were okay to eat then she wasn’t going to argue. It was fun to try new things, especially from the alien side of her home. She never would have guessed that a lot of the things she saw here was editable, let alone healthy for her too. “Do you think we can get Ben to eat these? You know how picky he can be with his food.”

“Oh absolutely. Prepared correctly, he’ll never even know he was eating a Vaxasaurian fruit.”

“These are fruits?” Sandra eyed the purple stalk in her basket with clear confusion.

“Oddly enough, yes. I was a bit confused as well, don’t worry. The more you shop down here the faster you’ll learn that not everything is what it appears to be. Of course, that’s only if you want to. If you don’t like how things turn out this time we don’t have to do this again.” While he did enjoy Sandra’s cooking, Albedo did miss having some alien cuisine every now and again. He was a Galvan after all, it was only natural he miss certain things from his previous way of life. If anything, he was more than capable of making the dishes himself. Sandra had simply suggested that she try her hand at cooking with new ingredients as well when he had mentioned going to the Undertown market. He truly appreciated her effort in trying to learn more about him, even though she’s already gone above and beyond what he had expected of her initially.

Their shopping trip continued relatively normally, save for a few awkward encounters with some less than savory aliens that recognized Albedo from  _ past deals _ that he had made with them. Thankfully many knew better than to engage him with Ben Tennyson’s  _ mother _ right there beside him. If looks could kill he was sure that Sandra would have murdered a few of them with her gaze alone. He knew of the saying ‘ _ Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned _ ’ but until now he’s never truly understood what that could have possibly meant. Now he has a somewhat basic idea as to what that saying was referring to. The fact she was so protective of him had him feeling just a bit embarrassed, as he was completely capable of defending himself. But it also showed just how much she cared for his safety. It wasn’t something he was entirely used to quite yet, even after all this time spent living with her. A Galvan’s way of life was entirely independent from the second they were able to walk thanks to their advanced intelligence. Most times a Galvan didn’t even know who their parents were, let alone spend time with them. So adjusting to Sandra’s motherly attitude towards him was still taking some getting used to, though it was hardly unwelcomed.

Once the pair left Undertown, they made a quick stop back home to carefully pack away the newly bought groceries before heading back out. This time their destination was the Bellwood mall for some personal shopping. While Albedo did have some clothing of his own now, it wasn’t near enough to be considered a normal wardrobe, and Sandra wasn’t going to just sit around while he only had two or three outfits to wear every week. He’d convinced her to put this off long enough, but now it was time to stop letting him worry so much and get him some new clothing. After finding a decent parking spot within the mall lot, Sandra and Albedo made their way inside the complex to begin the second half of their little shopping trip.

“Really Sandra, you don’t have to do this. I promise you I’m fine with what I have.” That being said, Albedo was making no real attempts to stop her. He knew that it was useless to try, but he still felt a small need to make a bit of an effort to deter her.

“We’ve been over this. What you have now was fine for a little bit, but you can’t put this off any longer. We’re getting you some new clothes today and that’s final. All you have is a couple of t-shirts and a few pairs of pants. I still can’t believe I let you convince me you were fine for as long as you have, but enough is enough. No more putting this off, dear.” She smiles back at him before reaching out to put a hand on his shoulder. Physical affections were still new to him, so Sandra tried her best not to overwhelm him with them. The last time she had tried to give him a hug was rather  _ awkward _ to say the least. Albedo seemed to only really initiate any kind of affection when he was highly emotional, which wasn’t often. But he was getting better with handling them and that was something to be proud of for now. In time she’s sure he’ll learn to accept these types of things, or at the very least tolerate them.

With a small sigh, Albedo finally seems to relent and give up his weak attempt at trying to stop Sandra. He knew it was pointless, but alas, he was a stubborn one. Old habits die hard, as they say.

“I know, but… I don’t wish to burden you with having to buy me things I’ve been able to live without since I was first stuck in this form. Albeit I was living like that without any choice, but still. I’m used to not having much of anything.” His hands find their way into his pockets, a small habit of his that developed over time that showed when Albedo started to feel down on himself. His pride as a Galvan always came to the surface at the worst times, especially when it came to admitting that some things were not okay.

“I understand that you don’t want to be a burden, but believe me when I say that you are nothing of the sort. Just because you were used to living like that doesn’t mean you have to continue to live that way. You’re in a better place now, and pardon my language but I’ll be damned if I let you keep living as if you were still on the streets. You live with us now, and you’re going to be treated as part of the family. It’s not so hard to believe you  _ are _ part of the family either, considering who’s looks you got stuck with.”

The pair share a laugh, and Albedo visibly relaxes as they continue walking around. Leave it to Sandra to simultaneously call him out on his crap and also make him feel a bit better about himself. It was one of the many things he admired about her. She had a way with words that seemed to always reach him. It was strange. Others had tried similar ways to reach out to him, but none had the same impact that Sandra’s words did. Maybe it was because she was a mother, or maybe it was because she held more sincerity in her voice than others, but no matter how low Albedo was feeling Sandra always seemed to know how to pick him back up, even without saying anything. It was a mystery that Albedo hoped to understand one day. For now, he’s just thankful to have her support when he really needed it.

The trip around the mall was far more entertaining than he had expected it to be. Albedo never thought just trying on clothing could be fun, yet he found himself laughing and enjoying trying on potential outfits. He and Sandra even tried on some ridiculous outfits just for fun. It was beyond what he was expecting when they first entered the mall, but he found himself genuinely enjoying what he once would have considered a waste of time. For a short while, he couldn’t believe what he had been missing out on all this time. Then again, he was sure that this sort of thing wouldn’t even be half as fun without someone else around to laugh with. He even found himself wishing Ben was around, even if it was only to potentially poke fun at whatever ridiculous outfit Sandra might have convinced him to put on.

The drive back to the house was relatively quiet. Albedo looked a bit worn out from all the alien and human interaction he had to do today. It’s been a long time since he’s really gotten out of the house, so Sandra was happy that he had suggested this little outing today. Even if it was the only real outing he did for the rest of the month, she was happy that it happened. To her, it meant he was really adjusting to life as a human, and to life with her family. Even with all the bumps in the road, he was doing his best, and that’s all she really could ask of him right now. If all Albedo could manage was one small outing a month then that was fine by her. Progress didn’t have to be instant or big, so long as there was progress to show.

As the two unloaded the bags from the car, Albedo stopped for a moment. “Sandra?”

“Hm?” Sandra didn’t look up as she dug around her purse for her house keys.

“I just wanted to say thank you… again. I know I’ve said it a lot but, I don’t think I can really say it enough.”

Sandra’s eyes broke away from her purse to look at Albedo, who was looking off to the side in an attempt to hide his face. A smile forms on her lips as she finally manages to find her keys. “You know there’s no need to thank me, I wouldn’t have changed my decision no matter what. You needed help that day and I wasn’t just going to pass you by without doing so. No matter what anyone tried to say, you’re doing great at trying to better yourself, Albedo.”

Without looking her in the eyes, Albedo managed a smile of his own. He was happy that Sandra had all but forced him into her car that day. Things would be vastly different if it weren’t for her heart of gold and steeled determination to help him.

Before either could say any more as they entered the house, both stopped in their tracks. Shock plastered across their faces before Albedo let out a loud groan of annoyance.

“Welcome home, Sandra.” Max was sitting on the couch in the living room, a stern look behind his fake smile. “I didn’t know you went out, I was just about to call you to see where you were. Just wanted to drop by for a visit.”

“Of  _ course _ you did! When  _ don’t _ you drop by nowadays!” And just like that, Albedo’s good mood had been stomped out in the blink of an eye.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If you saw the updated tags you might know what's coming in this chapter ;) Also shoutout to my friend @phaetho on tumblr for letting me do this with their portrayal! It won't be exactly like theirs but it is heavily inspired by them and they're my main consultant for writing the character!

To say Albedo was distracted would be… quite an understatement. Normally when his twin was invited to hang out with the team on their  _ very rare _ days of freedom, he did his best to be involved in the conversation, especially if Gwen was there. But every time Ben turned to ask the other a question, Albedo was practically glued to his phone screen. He had even caught the other quietly  _ giggling _ to himself. Now, Albedo may have a new attitude and outlook on his life, but the former Galvan didn’t just giggle for no reason. This was still Albedo he was talking about, he was just  _ barely _ starting to be comfortable with smiling in public let alone laughing!

His curiosity started to gnaw at him more and more as time went on, and Ben could see that Kevin and Gwen were both equally curious as to what in the world was so interesting on Albedo’s phone that had his attention pretty much cemented to the screen. The group walked on towards Mister Smoothie, Team 10 simply looking between each other to see who would make the first move into getting Albedo’s attention for more than two seconds. After a silent battle between them, Gwen seemed to finally give in and take a shot. She switched places with her cousin as discreetly as possible to stand next to Albedo. Though ‘discreet’ wasn’t all that necessary, seeing as he wasn’t even paying attention to his surroundings.

Gwen clears her throat, trying a slightly more subtle approach. She didn’t want to be rude, but when that didn’t work after three tries, she gently nudged his shoulder. That seemed to get his attention for a moment so she had to act fast, or else she might lose him again. “So Albedo, you’re not usually so focused on your phone when we hang out.” Her voice managed to pull his attention fully onto her. She watches as he blinks in confusion, as if she just spoke in a language he didn’t understand. “What’s got you so distracted, Albedo? You’ve barely said a word to any of us since we started walking.”

As if finally realizing what was going on, Albedo shook his head and just barely managed to keep his face from tinting red out of embarrassment. How could he have allowed himself to be so distracted? And right in front of the  _ only _ three people who Albedo was close to. Save for Sandra and Carl of course, but they don’t exactly count in this type of situation. He clears his throat, thinking up a reasonable excuse as to what has been holding his attention for so long.

“My apologizes, Gwen. I… hadn’t realized I was ignoring you all so much. I was just… talking to a new friend of mine.” Without realizing it, Albedo let a small smile pull at his lips. He hadn’t meant to be so distant to the others, but it was so hard to pull himself away from the conversation he was having with this new person.

“Holy shit, you actually made a friend?” Kevin’s comment earns him a slap to his arm from Gwen and a glare from both Ben and Albedo. Leave it to Kevin to start with the sarcastic comments, though could anyone really blame him? Albedo was practically a recluse nowadays and rarely, if ever, left the Tennyson house without one of them being present. So to hear the albino had made a friend that none of them had heard about yet? It was a surprise he had to see to believe.

“Very amusing, Levin, but yes. I have  _ actually _ made a new friend. He’s the son of one of the women who attend Sandra’s book club meetings. She hosts the club meetings at her home sometimes and I was invited to tag along if I wanted to. Her name is Heather if I remember correctly.” He still had trouble remembering the names of all the women in the book club, mostly because he wasn’t really interested in any of them, just what they were discussing. Sandra’s club read a few interesting books that had caught his attention a little while back, so she had extended an invitation for him to join the second she had caught him listening in on their meetings. It was a bit embarrassing at first to say the least. A, presumably, 17 year old boy sitting with a bunch of grown women discussing a fictional novel that they all had read? He certainly didn’t know how to act around these women. After all, he couldn’t really tell them that he was not, in fact, 17 years old and was actually older than all of them combined. But once he started getting into the discussion part of their meeting it was like a whole new world opened up to him. It certainly beat just sitting off to the side and listening to the ladies talk while holding back his own opinions on their current reading material. He liked being included.

“Albedo that’s really great! I’m proud of you dude.” Ben’s voice cut through his thoughts as he felt the other put an arm around his shoulder. A bright smile on Ben’s face as he continued. “And here I thought you’d take longer to find someone who you willingly wanted to hang out with that wasn’t one of us three. So, who’s the new guy, huh? What’s his name?” Ben leaned over a bit, trying to catch a glimpse of Albedo’s phone but with no such luck. His twin was quick to lock his screen before he could see anything.

“Don’t be a nosey bitch, Tennyson.” The former Galvan shoves his phone into his pocket before sticking his tongue out at his twin, who of course does the same to him.

“What? I’m curious, okay. I wanna know who’s got you so distracted that you’re willing to ignore all of us for a solid hour and a half. I mean, I know you like ignoring Kevin-”

“ _ Hey _ !”

“And me sometimes, but Gwen? You hardly ever ignore her. So come on, spill it. Who’s this guy that’s got all your attention?” Ben managed to put on his best puppy dog face, though he knows full well that it won’t really do much in his favor. If Albedo really didn’t want to say anything, there was hardly much you could do to make him talk. His twin was extremely stubborn and so far the only person he knows who can break that stubbornness was his mother, and sadly, Sandra wasn’t here. So it was either hit or miss with finding out who this new person was that had managed to get Albedo of all people to see them as a friend. The former Galvan didn’t just throw that word around lightly, after all.

At first, Albedo looked hesitant to talk. He hadn’t really mentioned that he lived with the literal hero of the universe, but his friend had pretty much figured it out once he had mentioned that he came to the club meetings with Sandra. Albedo wasn’t blind, he saw the way the other tensed up slightly when he mentioned it. He saw the small flash of what he assumed was fear in the other’s eyes before he had masked it with a tired, fake smile. He didn’t want to mess up his first attempt at friendship, and knowing these three and how ‘extra’ they could be, as Ben once put it, he wasn’t sure if telling them was such a good idea. But, they were his friends too. His  _ only  _ friends if he was being honest. He shouldn’t be hiding things from them, right? Aside from seeing them as his friends, Ben and Gwen practically treated him as family now. So it was only fair that he be honest with them and tell them about his new friend, right?

Albedo let out a small sigh before running one hand down his face in defeat. He had to tell them. Of course he had to tell them, it wasn’t right to keep things from them. He trusted them after all. He’d rarely ever admit it out loud, but the trio were very important to him. After all he had done to them, here they were, treating him like family instead of a former enemy who tried to kill them in the past. He can at least tell them his new friend’s name.

“Okay, okay. Stop with the dumb look, Ben. I’ll tell you his name.” He watched as Ben’s face lit up, and he rolled his eyes as he saw the little fist pump he did at his side.

“Yes! No backing out, got it? Spill.”

Albedo just smiled and shook his head at his twin’s excitement. All this over the fact he made a new friend. Though he hesitates for another moment, Albedo finally manages to say his friend’s name.

“His name is Micheal Kingsleigh.”

And just like that, all the excitement in the air died. The only thing left were stunned faces and a rising panic in Albedo’s chest as the trio looked at him in utter disbelief. The silence was deafening, and for a moment, Albedo thought time had stopped all together. No one was moving, no one was saying anything, it seemed as though they all stopped  _ breathing _ . But after what felt like literal ages, Gwen spoke up. Her voice shaking slightly as she asked,

“What does he look like?”

Albedo was almost scared to show her the picture he had managed to take of Micheal one day. The other wasn’t really one for photos but he had snapped this picture one day due to Sandra texting him and asking him where he was inside the Kingsleigh mansion during one of the book club meetings. The look on the trio’s faces when they saw the photo caused Albedo’s anxiety to sky rocket, and the next words out of Gwen’s mouth had Albedo’s heart sinking into his stomach.

“Albedo… this is Micheal Morningstar, aka Darkstar… he’s tried to  _ kill _ me.”


End file.
